Is My Coin Silver? Check Any U.S. Coin by Year

Which U.S. coins are silver

Weights are the standard for coins struck from 1873 on. The melt column uses the silver price in the checker above.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Dimes and quarters made before 1837–38 were 89.24% silver, and coins made before 1873 used slightly different weights. Silver proof dimes, quarters and halves have been sold in Mint silver proof sets since 1992, and commemorative silver dollars since 1983.

The years people ask about

1964 quarter: yes, 90% silver

Every 1964 Washington quarter is 90% silver, from any mint, and holds 0.1808 troy oz. A 1965 quarter is clad and holds none. Melt value at $60.00 silver: $10.85. Check a 1964 quarter

1964 Kennedy half dollar: yes, 90% silver

The first-year Kennedy half is the only 90% silver Kennedy made for circulation. It holds 0.3617 troy oz. Melt value at $60.00 silver: $21.70. Check a 1964 half dollar

1965–1970 Kennedy halves: yes, 40% silver

Each holds 0.1479 troy oz, about 40% of a 1964's silver. The 1970-D was sold only in Mint sets. Melt value at $60.00 silver: $8.87. Check a 1967 half dollar

1971 half dollar: no silver

A law signed on December 31, 1970 took silver out of the half dollar. Halves dated 1971 and later are copper-nickel clad and weigh 11.34 g. The exceptions are collector coins: the 1776–1976-S silver half and the silver proofs sold since 1992. Check a 1971 half dollar

1971–1978 Eisenhower dollars: usually no

This is the "1972 silver dollar" question. Ikes from circulation are copper-nickel clad and weigh 22.68 g. Only S-mint collector coins dated 1971–1974 and 1776–1976 were struck in 40% silver, with 0.3162 troy oz each. The 1971–1974 coins came in blue (uncirculated) or brown (proof) Mint packaging; the 1776–1976 ones came in three-coin silver sets. Melt value at $60.00 silver: $18.97. Check a 1972 dollar

1979 dollar: no silver

The 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar is copper-nickel clad and weighs 8.1 g. It contains no silver, so any value above $1 comes from the variety and condition, not the metal. Check a 1979 dollar

1943 penny: steel, not silver

1943 cents look silver but are zinc-coated steel and weigh 2.7 g. A magnet picks one up; no other regular-issue U.S. coin does that. A 1943 cent that is copper and ignores a magnet could be a rare error, so have it authenticated. Check a 1943 cent

War nickels (1942–1945): yes, 35% silver

Nickels with a large P, D or S above Monticello's dome are 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese, with 0.0563 troy oz of silver. They weigh 5.00 g like any nickel, so check the mint mark, not the scale. Melt value at $60.00 silver: $3.38. Check a 1944 nickel

How to tell without the date

• Look at the edge. Dimes and quarters from 1965 on, and halves from 1971 on, have a pure copper core, so their edge shows a copper stripe. A 90% silver coin is silver-gray all the way through.
• Weigh it. A 90% silver quarter weighs 6.25 g and a clad one 5.67 g. Use the weigh-it box above with a scale that reads to 0.01 g.
• Skip the magnet. Neither silver nor copper-nickel sticks to a magnet. The 1943 steel cent is the only regular-issue U.S. coin that does.

Melt value is the floor, not the price

Melt is what the silver alone is worth. Scarce dates, mint marks, errors and coins in top condition can be worth far more to a collector, so look up anything unusual before you sell it for its metal. For a pile of common silver, add it up with the junk silver calculator or the silver coin melt value calculator. Per-coin pages cover thesilver quarter, silver dime,silver half dollar, Kennedy half,Morgan dollar, Peace dollar,war nickel and 40% Eisenhower dollar.

Got an offer already? Run it through the coin offer checker and ask the buyer what share of melt they are paying. When you're ready, compare coin dealers near you and read how to sell a coin collection.